Chapter 275: A Perfect Puppet (3)
The bull beast led Ningyan upward.
They climbed seemingly endless flights of stairs until the surrounding noise of the pagoda gradually faded beneath them. The higher they went, the denser the spiritual energy became, until even the air felt heavy with ancient power.
At last, they reached the highest chamber.
Two enormous wooden doors stood before them, carved with array formations that Ningyan couldn’t immediately decipher.
The bull beast stopped. "This is as far as I can go."
Ningyan glanced at him. By then, he had already suppressed the demonic qi around his body, returning his eyes to their usual cool violet.
But suppressing the energy didn’t mean the corruption had quieted.
Something deep inside him was hungry for anger, for resentment, for anything dark enough to feed the demon crystal in his chest. And frustratingly, his mind kept returning to Rong Yue’s blood.
The warmth of it against his palm. The way the tiger beast king’s blood had temporarily calmed the chaos raging inside his soul.
Ningyan’s fingers curled into fists. He forced the thought away.
"Open the doors and lead me inside," he commanded softly.
The bull beast’s expression stiffened. "I truly cannot."
"I don’t intend to hurt you," Ningyan sighed, his tone softening slightly. "You have my word."
The bull beast looked thoroughly unconvinced, a reaction that left Ningyan feeling slightly disappointed.
Before Ningyan could say anything else, the bull beast reluctantly turned toward the massive doors. His hand had barely lifted when.... creak.
The doors opened on their own.
The bull beast froze, his face draining of color. "Oh, no..." He hurried inside without another word.
Ningyan followed.
The chamber beyond was vast and strangely quiet. A grand fireplace burned at the far end, its flames casting warm golden light across the dark, lavish room.
Before the hearth stood an enormous carved chair, white tails spilling lazily over its back.
The bull beast immediately dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against the floor. "Forgive me, Old Beast Gu! I was threatened! I had no choice but to—"
"Get out!" The voice was sharp, echoing through the wide chamber.
The bull beast trembled. "Yes!" He scrambled to his feet and rushed past Ningyan, the heavy doors slamming shut behind him with a resounding thud.
Ningyan stood alone.
His gaze shifted toward the grand chair. He had expected the owner of the largest artifact pagoda in Earth City to be an ancient, terrifying old monster.
Instead... a beautiful nine-tailed fox slowly turned around to face him.
She possessed long, snow-white hair that cascaded down her back and a pair of elegant fox ears. Her eyes were an unusual, enchanting shade of sky blue, and she looked impossibly young, far too young for someone who had accumulated enough knowledge to become the Grandmaster master of this legendary place.
Ningyan’s brows rose slightly. Mischievous beasts, every last one of them.
"It is a great honor to have you here, Su Ningyan." The woman’s voice carried the undeniable weight of age despite her youthful appearance.
Ningyan approached her slowly. "Old Beast Gu."
Her smile widened. Her blue eyes traveled over him from head to toe, studying every detail of his soft white hair, his violet eyes, and the faint traces of demonic qi still clinging stubbornly to his aura.
Then, her expression shifted. "You truly have become a demon beast."
There was no disgust in her voice. "Why are you here?"
"I want to know how to recover my memories."
Old Beast Gu’s brows lifted higher. "Your memories?"
"Yes." Ningyan held her gaze, unwavering. "I know Earth City possesses the greatest collection of knowledge in the Three Realms. And you are the master of the greatest artifact repository in this city. You must know something that can help me."
Instead of answering, Old Beast Gu leaned back against her plush chair. "Tell me something first. Do you know what happened to you, Su Ningyan?"
Ningyan’s expression tightened.
She held his gaze, her eyes narrowing. "Do you?"
A heavy silence filled the vast chamber, broken only by the soft crackle of the fireplace behind her.
Ningyan’s fingers slowly curled at his sides. "I..." The words caught somewhere deep in his throat.
Old Beast Gu watched him carefully. "You don’t remember your death."
Ningyan’s eyes darkened.
"You don’t remember what happened to your soul."
His breathing grew heavier, his chest rising and falling.
"And most importantly..." Her striking blue eyes seemed to see straight through his carefully constructed defenses. "You don’t know who made you into a demon beast."
Ningyan’s blood ran cold.
Old Beast Gu’s expression became deeply solemn. She leaned forward, the firelight casting dramatic shadows across her youthful face.
"So before you ask me how to recover your memories..." Her gaze locked onto his. "You should first ask yourself whether you truly want them back."
"I was told I was killed by my own kin," Ningyan answered immediately.
Old Beast Gu nodded slowly, her sky-blue eyes drifting back toward the dancing flames of the hearth. "I see..." Her voice softened. "So you have come into contact with your husbands again."
Ningyan swallowed, the back of his throat feeling bone-dry. "Yes."
Old Beast Gu’s gaze returned to him. "Do you believe them?"
Ningyan frowned.
"Do you believe that your own kin killed you?"
"I..." He opened his mouth, but the words withered on his tongue.
Old Beast Gu raised a single hand, stopping him before he could force a rehearsed answer. "Look deep within yourself before you speak," she commanded calmly.
"Do not answer because of your husbands. Do not answer because of your kin." Her sharp gaze pierced through him. "Answer because of you."
Ningyan’s hands slowly curled into tight fists within his wide sleeves. "I don’t know."
Old Beast Gu stared at him and for a long, suffocating moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, she suddenly threw her head back and laughed.
The harsh, mocking cackle echoed off the high stone ceiling, startling enough that Ningyan’s expression darkened into a scowl.
Old Beast Gu rose gracefully from her seat, her luxurious white robes spilling around her ankles as her nine magnificent tails unfurled behind her like a regal fan. "You aren’t lying to me, Su Ningyan." Her smile widened, predatory and sharp. "You’re lying to yourself."